Peripheral adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lung - a case report.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lung occurs commonly in the trachea and main bronchi and rarely occurs as a peripheral lung mass. A case of peripheral adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lung is reported. The patient was a 67-year-old Japanese female who had the complaint of cough for one and half months. On admission to the hospital, she was found to have a left abnormal lung mass. She was transferred to the Surgical Department of Kanazawa University Hospital for further examination and surgery. A tumor was located in the left superior lingula segment (S-4 b), and was resected. The cut surface of the tumor was yellow-white and measured 2.3×3.0×2.6 cm with a well-defined margin. There was no relationship between the tumor and the trachea or main bronchus. Histologic and electron microscopic examination revealed the tumor to be an adenoid cystic carcinoma. Histologically, there was no involvement of the main bronchi in the tumor, but bronchi without cartilage were found at the periphery of the tumor, which indicated that the tumor might arise from the fifth or sixth order bronchus.